2020 GANS Award Recipient - Dave MacLean

Dave has been a selfless contributor to the geomatics industry in Nova Scotia for decades. He has long bridged the large gap between those new to the geomatics industry, such as students, with academia and industry. He has contributed to the Geomatics Association of Nova Scotia for years and he is indeed a glue that helps to holds the organization together and keep it running smoothly. 

He even forged a relationship with an astronaut who was aboard the International Space Station - all thanks to his dedication to making geomatics useful and interesting, and sharing those sentiments with his students and the wider geomatics

You would be very hard pressed to find even find any geomatics professional in Nova Scotia who doesn't know the name Dave MacLean. The geomatics industry in Nova Scotia is incredibly fortunate to have such a champion in our corner. For all these reasons, we would like to recognize Dave as the winner of the 2020 GANS award of distinction.

Follow Dave on Twitter for all kinds of cool geospatial news, images and more! https://twitter.com/DaveAtCOGS

 2019 GANS Award Recipient

No nominations were received, so GANS did not present the award at the 2019 GANS AGM.

 2018 GANS Award Recipient - Ted MacKinnon

Ted MacKinnon was awarded the Award of Distinction in 2018 for his leadership and continuous support of promoting geomatics and the importance of Canadian Geographic Information. 

Ted has been actively helping to promote the geospatial community here in Nova Scotia as well as all across Canada for more then 20 years. He actively volunteers in several professional organizations at a multitude of levels including GANS, (where he has served as President for 2 years and on the Board of Directors for the past 5 years), the Canadian Institute of Geomatics, Canadian Cartographic Association, Canadian Remote Sensing Society, and the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.

He has built a solid online presence with over 50 thousand followers on Twitter, facebook and LinkedIn, that he uses to help reach the broader geospatial community, sharing information about Canadian issues such as geography education, open data, events, jobs and much more.

Congratulations Ted and thanks for all you do to promote the Canadian Geomatics Sector

Need Canadian geospatial resources? Then check out the Ted's site CanadianGIS.com for geographic information from all across Canada

 2017 GANS Award Recipient - Dr. Tim Webster

Tim has been a major presence in the Nova Scotian Geomatics community for decades. As an instructor at the Centre for Geographic Sciences (COGS) during the 1990’s he guided and developed countless GIS and remote sensing students into successful careers in the geomatics industry both in Nova Scotia and abroad.

In addition to his experience as an educator, Tim has been an invaluable contributor to geomatics research in Nova Scotia. As a co-founder, Tim was instrumental in the formation of the Applied Geomatics Research Group (AGRG), which was established in 2000 and was behind the first successful major research grant awarded from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to bring topographic lidar to Nova Scotia.

Together with his research interns at AGRG, numerous flood risk studies have been completed for flood-prone communities across the Maritimes, which include novel advances in the application of coupled river runoff and coastal tidal hydrodynamic interactions for assessing flood risk. 

Most recently, as the principal investigator Tim successfully guided the NSCC-AGRG to be the recipient of a grant awarded again by CFI, this time in conjunction with the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust, to purchase an airborne shallow water topographic-bathymetric lidar sensor. The technology is one of only two such sensors in North America and the only one of its kind at a research institution in Canada.

Congratulations Tim!

2016 GANS Award Recipient - James Boxall

James Boxall was honored in 2016 for his work as a governor of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and all his work helping to develop GeoAliance Canada. 

GeoAliance Canada allows the geomatics sector in Nova Scotia to be recognized at a National level and helps unify all things Geo from coast to coast.

Congratulations James

2015 GANS Award Recipient - Dr. Jason Bond

Dr. Jason Bond was honored in 2015 for his work in developing a plan and implementing the Nova Scotia Active Control System. This initiative allows the modernization of the current Nova Scotia Coordinate Referencing System. A better foundation creates better GeoData for all of Nova Scotia.

Congratulations Jason and thanks for making Nova Scotia a leader in Active Control in Canada